Cerylid, Peter Mac collaborate on anti-cancer drugs

Cerylid and the Peter MacCallum Cancer Institute have set up a collaboration to look for new anti-cancer drug leads, using Cerylid's natural products library as a source.

The target of the collaboration is to find inhibitors to protein kinases, which play critical roles in the development of many types of cancer. Cerylid will work with researchers in the cancer genomics and biochemistry program at the Peter Mac, who are working on kinases involved in cancer and uncontrolled proliferation.

"We have worked with the Peter Mac in the past, but this particular collaboration is in a new area," said Cerylid CEO Jackie Fairley. "The Peter Mac has some specific expertise in the kinase area and we would be accessing that to screen the library."

Cerylid already has one anti-cancer lead compound (CBL316) in preclinical development that is currently being tested at the Peter Mac.

Peter Mac director of research Prof David Bowtell said that the relationship with Cerylid would provide synergies that would "fast-track" the institute's research.

According to Fairley, the collaboration potentially had a number of stages, with the initial phase expected to last for 12-18 months.

Cerylid recently announced it had received a Commendation for Innovation Excellence from the State of Victoria at the 2002 Governor of Victoria Export Awards. The company was the only biotechnology or pharmaceutical sector company to receive an award.

"It's pretty unusual for a biotechnology company to be recognised so we're pretty pleased about that," said Fairley.